No One Listens
by DenniBenni
Summary: No one actually listens to one another and that's the problem. At least that's how Tim sees it. Set after episode "The Hunt". Spoilers for "The Hunt". ONESHOT. Rated teen for two curse words.


AN: Well...I felt like writing this little oneshot because today, I just didn't get a Tim and Dick hug on the new episode of Young Justice and I was sad. So I wrote this to make myself feel better and if anyone else was sad, I hope it makes you feel better also. Oh, and since I don't really have a clue about if Tim's parents are alive or dead in the cartoon, we're just going to pretend they're dead for the sake of the story. And when they're mentioned, they are different from how they were in the comics. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Young Justice or its characters!

Summary: No one actually listens to one another and that's the problem. At least that's how Tim sees it. Set after the episode "The Hunt". Spoilers for "The Hunt". ONESHOT.

* * *

Tim Drake listened silently to the sounds of the bats screeching overhead in the cave. Hundreds of the little creatures, all in their own little worlds. Unable to understand the complete and utter danger the world was in. Unable to understand anything really outside of their little cave and bug hunting grounds. They were a family, shielded from the horrors of the world. A family…that was always together.

Tim pressed the palms of his ungloved hands into the metal of the med-table, just staring ahead at the computer monitors that were across the cave from him. Their light reflected across his face as a picture of a blood sample being scanned moved across the screen. The blinking lights made his tired eyes ache all the more than they already did, causing his head to lull with sleepiness.

It was late. Very late actually. The bats had already returned from their nightly hunts and were all talking before they would retire for the day. But, the Batfamily was not doing as such. They were awake and tired. They longed for sleep, but they would not get it for the time being.

Tim's stomach churned slightly as he shifted, his brain pounding against his skull. He tugged at the grey pajama pants that were a hand-me-down from his older adoptive brother, Dick Grayson. They were a bit large still, but were good enough for the night. His shower had been rushed and quick, so he hadn't gotten much time to enjoy the warm water or to pick out his own pajamas. His brother had put them in the bathroom for him, so it wasn't his choice.

Immediately after the shower he had been brought back down to the cave and told to sit while Dick ran blood tests. Blood tests that were not needed in Tim's opinion. They just seemed to be something that was the result of complete and utter paranoia on Dick's part. He had been checked for injuries, poked and prodded with needles.

And had the rest of the team gotten this treatment? No…They had gotten to go home. Continue with their live. _Sleep_ for God's sake.

But, no…Tim had gotten to stay up five hours later with a brother that was in complete Batman mode.

Not to mention a bit of bitterness in the back of his mind towards the older. He wasn't angry about being kidnapped. He was a bit annoyed about being treated like a baby, but honestly that wasn't the source of his bitterness either.

Tim had found Dick's treatment of Roy completely unfair…

And maybe to some degree, Dick had been right about Roy's inability to be a team player. But, kicking him off of the team had been…well Tim had no word for it, but it bothered him. It just really bothered him.

Tim jumped out of his thoughts when he felt a shadow standing in front of him. He looked up to see that Dick had moved away from the monitor screens and now stood in front of him. Tim could see the exhaustion in his eyes. They were dim and tired.

"I think you're fine," Dick stated, "The tests came back clean."

Tim nodded once and replied, "Well, I guessed that."

"We had to make sure, Tim," Dick put in quickly, almost sounding defensive. "We had to make sure they didn't do anything to you."

"And what about the rest of the team?" Tim asked, his eyebrows furrowed deeply. "Why didn't you run any tests on them?"

Dick's mouth snapped shut suddenly and frustration began to burn within Tim. He never had an answer for those types of questions. And when he did, they were stupid, half-assed excuses. Tim shook his head and pushed himself off of the med-table. His voice was flooded with frustration as he said, "Exactly. No answer. You never have one. Even when you do, they're just stupid excuses. Just like your stupid excuse for kicking Roy off the team."

"Hey," Dick snapped, stepping towards the younger, causing Tim to step away so that his back touched the med-table. "I had a good reason for kicking him off of the team. He wasn't being a good team player and he ran off, allowing you, Babs, and the team to get kidnapped."

"He's suffering from PTSD!" Tim shouted. "What would you do if you were on ice for eight years and then suddenly you woke up to find your arm gone and a clone living your life, then you're being threatened to be podded again?!"

Dick's eyes narrowed and he replied in a low tone, "Then that's another reason why he should not be on the team. If he's suffering from PTSD, he would be endangering the entire team and himself on every mission. I can't allow that. I can't risk my team and my brother every time I send him on a mission."

Tim looked away a moment, pondering on what Dick was saying. The fourteen year old swallowed thickly when he realized that Dick's reasoning made sense. Every bit of sense it should make and Tim…well he hadn't figured that out. He should have but he didn't. Silently he scolded_, "You're an idiot. You know that, Tim? You should just stay quiet. If you don't talk, you can't make a fool out of yourself. It's really hard to piss anyone off if you don't talk. This is why your parents were never home. Every time they got around you, you disappointed them. You're a nuisance."_

"I'm tired," Tim whispered suddenly, "I'm going to bed."

Quickly, Tim attempted to step around his brother. Before he could however, a firm hand placed itself around his upper arm tightly, pulling him back and turning him around. Once he was facing his adoptive brother again, the older's hands found his shoulders to keep him in place. Dick leaned down a bit, making eye contact with the teen before saying, "Don't do that."

"Don't do what?" Tim asked in a small voice. His vision blurred slightly as his eyes watered. He was tired. He just wanted to go to bed.

"That thing you do when you start thinking too much," Dick stated, attempting to keep his eyes locked on Tim's as the boy kept trying to advert them away. Tim's eyes settled on the floor causing Dick to grab his chin tightly, pulling it upward so that his brother would look at him. "Tim, I'm not your mom and dad. I'm not going to leave whenever you tell me something I don't like. I'll listen."

"No one listens," Tim whispered; his voice cracking. "That's the problem…no one listens to one another…I shouldn't even waste my breath, right?"

"And who told you that?" Dick snapped, "Your mom and dad?"

Tim opened his mouth to reply, only to shut it again quickly. It wasn't polite to speak ill of the dead and especially not if it's your parents. Tim reached up and gripped Dick's wrist, trying to tug them away from his shoulders. He whispered, "It's not like they were lying…"

"But they were," Dick growled, unable to mask his frustration. Every time Dick heard the things that Tim's parents had told him, it made him want to stomp on their graves. Dick quickly stood to full height, pulling Tim into a tight embrace. He felt the boy stiffen in the hug, causing Dick to shut his eyes tightly. He couldn't imagine it really. Parents that didn't give their child physical affection or emotional affection. Tim was given material items and then sent on his way. That was no way to raise a healthy child.

And as terrible as it might seem…sometimes Dick was glad Tim's parents were gone…

"I-I wanna go to bed," He heard Tim's muffled voice say from where his face was buried against Dick's chest. "I'm really tired, Dick. Please let me go to bed."

Dick knew Tim was actually tired to some degree. But, he also knew it was an excuse to escape the situation. Slowly though, Dick released his grip on the child and the boy stepped away quickly in fear of being drawn back into the embrace. Dick could see the small twinkles in the corners of Tim's eyes where unshed tears had formed.

"Ok Timmy," Dick whispered gently, nodding his head, "Go to bed."

That was all Tim needed to be told before he turned and quickly retreated up the stairs and through the clock of the cave. Dick ran a hand through his hair before letting out a deep sigh. He shut his eyes, trying to calm his frayed nerves. The day and night had been long and taxing. Emotionally and physically.

He was tired as well…

* * *

It was at four in the morning he found himself unable to breathe. It was at four in the morning he ripped himself out of his nightmare infested sleep. It was at four in the morning that he screamed at the top of his lungs and sat up in bed, tears leaking out of his eyes against his will. The sharp pain of the blade that was only apparent in his dream still pounded in his chest. Though it wasn't real, it felt real. It burned and stung and he swore the blood was real. But, it wasn't. The bright white light from the florescent light bulbs he had seen was now the darkness of his bedroom.

Nightmares were a regular occurrence, but rarely did they end with sobbing. It was usually the death of his parent's that woke him in such ways. But, this was different. This was the deaths of his team members. But, it was a dream. His parents' deaths had happened, but this was a dream.

Tim nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone embrace him tightly. He stiffened and attempted to push the person away in his dazed state of mind. He couldn't see and the hug was nearly crushing him as the person used the embrace as a means of restraint for the boy.

"Shhh, Timmy. It's ok. You're safe," A familiar voice whispered groggily. "I'm right here."

Tim opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a choking sound from the back of his throat. He gripped the familiar voice's shirt tightly in his fingers as if it was the only thing keeping him from floating away into the cosmos.

"I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."

Dick. He knew it had to be Dick. It sounded just like him anyway. Tim relaxed immediately at the realization, his eyes shutting tightly as he buried his face deeper into the eighteen year olds chest. He was safe. He was safe and ok. For the time being anyway.

Tim felt a hand card gently through his hair as the boy attempted to fight off his sobs. He bit down on his lip, keeping the sounds at bay. Tim slowly managed to calm himself long enough to croak, "Sorry…sorry I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine, Timmy," Dick whispered.

"What're you doing in my room?" Tim asked, feeling Dick's embrace loosen enough so that he could push some of the left over tears out of his eyes. His cheeks were stained and he ran the heel of his hand over them also.

Dick replied quietly, "I heard you talking in your sleep earlier. You usually do that before you have nightmares. So I just came and slept in here."

Tim didn't ask how Dick knew this. There could be many different ways of how Dick knew. Tim had stayed at his brother's apartment many times in the past. Plus, their rooms at the manor were right beside each other. Tim also had a tendency to fall asleep in random places about the manor.

Tim nodded, taking in a shaky breath. He could feel Dick slowly laying back down, bringing the younger with him. Dick's head sank into the pillow and he held Tim so that the boy was pressed closely to his side. Tim continued to grip Dick's shirt tightly as his eyes drooped, listening to the lulling sound of Dick's breathing.

"Hey Dick?" Tim whispered before falling asleep.

"Yeah Timmy?" Dick replied, his eyes staring at the pitch black ceiling.

Tim let out a sigh, his eyes finally shutting before he muttered, "Thank you for listening…"

A small smile made its way across Dick's lips. The older replied quietly, "Anytime Timmy. Anytime…"

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I hope you guys liked it! Please review! :)


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